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For internal use only
On Display: House - Fraktur Room
Fraktur (Birth and baptismal certificate)
Birth and baptismal certificate (Geburts und Taufschein) of Johanes Bender
Johann Henrich Otto, Pseudo-Otto Artist, Ephrata Cloister printshop
1784
Category
Works on Paper
Creator/Artist/Maker
Johann Henrich Otto (Decorator)
Place of Origin
Ephrata; Pennsylvania; Lancaster; Mid-Atlantic; United States; North America
Materials
- Ink
- Watercolor
- Paper (laid)
Museum Object Number
1958.0120.017 A
Credit Line/Donor
Museum purchase with funds provided by Henry Francis du Pont
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Complete Details
Object Number
1958.0120.017 A
Object Name
Fraktur (Birth and baptismal certificate)
Title
Birth and baptismal certificate (Geburts und Taufschein) of Johanes Bender
Category
Works on Paper
Creator (Role)
Johann Henrich Otto (Decorator); Pseudo-Otto Artist (Scrivener); Ephrata Cloister printshop (Printer)
Place of Origin
Ephrata; Pennsylvania; Lancaster; Mid-Atlantic; United States; North America
Origin Notes
Certificate printed on the press at Ephrata Cloister. Decoration probably completed by Otto in Lancaster County.
Secondary Place of Origin
Douglass Township; Pennsylvania; Philadelphia; Mid-Atlantic; United States; North America
Secondary Origin Notes
Secondary creation place is birthplace on certificate, which is described as "Tocklis" Township, Philadelphia County. "Tocklis" is a phoenetic spelling referring to Douglass Township, originally part of Philadelphia County. Douglass Township became part of Montgomery County when it was formed in 1784, and is located on the border with Berks County.
Date
1784
Materials
- Ink
- Watercolor
- Paper (laid)
Techniques
- Drawn
- Hand colored
- Hand lettered
- Letterpress
- Woodcut
- Woodblock
- Painted
Dimensions (inches)
13.4 (H) x 16.6 (W) x 13.4 (Image H) x 16.6 (Image W)
Dimensions (centimeters)
34 (H) x 42.1 (W) x 34 (Image H) x 42.1 (Image W)
Measurement Notes
H at left. W at bottom. Chain intervals: 2.5-2.6 cm; 9 laid lines per cm.
Edition Watermark
Lower right: Fleur-de-lis over the initials "PU" in crowned banded circle
Coloring
Hand colored with watercolors
Edition Notes
Second state bird panels (See Stopp 236.2). Watermark appears to be that of Peter Ulrick (see Gravell, 2002 ed., p. 312). Stopp lists watermark as that of Frederick Wilhelm Hoffman, Gunpowder Falls, Maryland; used at Ephrata, 1781-84 (See Stopp, vol. 2, p. 99).
Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes
Book: Stopp, Klaus. 1997 The Printed Birth and Baptismal Certificates of the German Americans. 2.
• Published on p. 118.Book: Ames, Kenneth L. 1977 Beyond Necessity: Art in the Folk Tradition.
• Published on p. 50, no. 44 and p. 124, fig. 191.Book: Earnest, Russell D. & Earnest, Corinne P. 1997 Papers for Birth Dayes: Guide to the Fraktur Artists and Scriveners. 2 vols. 909.
• Published on p. 598. For more info. on Otto, see pp. 594-600.